


Friends in High Places

by lanapanda



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: He blinded me with science, M/M, On the Run, Rhodey is a good friend, Science Boyfriends, Stanner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 06:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanapanda/pseuds/lanapanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, there are problems that take a little more pull than even Iron Man can muster. Fortunately, Tony Stark knows how to be persuasive when what matters most is on the line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends in High Places

**Author's Note:**

> Total fluff at this point. I may pick this up as a series, at which point it will be much less fluffy.

“Got a favor to ask you,” Tony began as soon as Rhodey had picked up the line. He kept his voice down as he walked along a dust-laden street leading into Cairo.

It was after sunset, just light enough that the edges of the sky were still red and gold and purple, bleeding out into black and the first pinpoints of starlight. But Tony Stark was not looking at the sky, or the dust, or even the ribbon of ink that was the Nile in the distance. He had his eyes on the road, on anything moving at the side of the road, and places that might conceal a possible ambush.  The lights of an approaching vehicle bobbed up well up the road and Tony pulled the dusty robe he was wearing down and across his face even further.

“This better be good, Tony.” Rhodes’ voice sounded tired, but steady on the other end of the line. Tony felt a little touch of reassurance and relief – tired was okay. Exasperation is where he usually ran into trouble with getting Rhodey to understand, even after years of having many conversations that started just this way. “You’ve been gone for three weeks,” he added.

“I know, I know. But that’s why I called you. I need you to do a little… intervention on my behalf,” Tony moved to the side of the road and turned away as the vehicle passed. It was a jeep, so long for the desert that it was the same dusty tan of the dunes and the pyramids and the motor sounded like it would choke, sputter and die any day now. Tony watched it roll past and let out a silent breath of relief when it continued on its way.

“Intervention? Tony, don’t play with me. Where are you?” Ah, there was the exasperation.

“Ohh…ah… Egypt, I think. Might be Saudi Arabia but that’s really not important, Rhodey. What  **is** important is that I need you to take over a couple of military checkpoints for me.”

“Oh God. Tony. What. Did. You. Do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Tony waved an arm at the empty road, as though it bore silent witness to his innocence. “But there’s someone causing me a little trouble in getting to where I need to go. So all you have to do is quietly take over a couple of checkpoints being manned by a guy named Thaddius Ross –“

“Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. You mean  _General_  Ross? Tony, I’m a Lieutenant Colonel. He outranks me and –“

“—and he’s not physically there and you will outrank the people who  _are_  there so what’s the problem?”

“The problem?! The problem is that trying to go around a General could get me court-martialed… Do you understand  **anything**  about reality on this planet as we know it?”

“You won’t get court-martialed. You can tell them I set you up. That I said we’d be there, and I’ll go in front of the Senate and take the heat,” Tony tried to sound soothing and reasonable. “Look, I already tore down the man’s bar. He’ll believe I had it in for him.”

“That “we’d” be there? Tony, this is about ‘him’ isn’t it?” Rhodes sighed and Tony could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head the way he always did when they had these conversations face-to-face.

“Yeah. It is. I’m not going to lie to you, Rhodey. And if you don’t want to help, that’s fine… but I’m not coming back without him.”

Another sigh. This one sounded resigned. “At least tell me why I am putting my career and potentially my freedom on the line for a –“

“Don’t’ say it –“

“Oh, I’m saying it. A wanted criminal, Tony. Yes, he’s helped in the past but the man is a loose cannon and you can’t possibly think that bringing him back to the R&D is worth this kind of liability.”

“He’s worth any liability, Rhodey,” Tony said. His voice was low and serious.

There was a long silence on the other end, and then a single word. “Why?”

“Because… because I’m out here, in the  _fucking_  desert, where you found me half  **dead**  a few years ago and where there are probably plenty of people who would be happy to finish the job and I can’t leave him because I just… don’t… see what’s so great about Manhattan if he’s not there.” It was Tony’s turn to pinch the bridge of his nose, shake his head, and sigh. “Look, if you can’t –“

“No. No, I think I get it now. Out of everyone on the entire planet… Man, you never do anything the easy way. Give me the coordinates; I’ll know how to decode. But you  _owe_  me, Tony. Big time.” The exasperation had left Rhodey’s voice, and he was quiet and steady again.

“I could give you your old job back. Triple the salary.”

“I am never,  _ever_  being your pilot again Tony Stark,” Rhodey chuckled. “But there  _are_  some upgrades I want on the War Machine…”

“You like that name, huh?”

“Well, it fits. And maybe next time aliens invade New York, you give me a call.”

“Deal.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony ducked his head into a tent about a mile off the road, and grinned with confidence, “Got us an out.”

“What? How?” Bruce looked up from where he was sitting on a blanket; the cup of coffee he’d made an hour ago had already gone cold, but he was still holding the tin cup in his hands. He’d known Tony would come back; he had faith in him like no one else… but the wait had been hard.

Tony stepped into the tent and knelt down right next to him, putting his hands over Bruce’s as they held the cup. He pretended not to notice the faint tremble in those hands when he leaned in and gave Bruce a gentle kiss – just touching his lips to the other man’s for a moment. “A friend on the inside is going to tip off Ross’ men as to where we won’t be. We’ll take the crossing while they cover an area pretty far away. Once we’re past the blockade, I can get us out.”

“You got your friend to agree to lie to a commanding officer?”

“It’s not  _his_  commanding officer. But no. Just to lie to his men. Ross isn’t out here. His people are about as sharp as a sack of wet flour, but I don’t want to take any chance with this,” Tony replied. He brushed his thumbs against the backs of Bruce’s hands, and eventually the trembling stopped and Bruce leaned in close, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, I told you. Open invitation to the R&D, whenever you want.” Tony turned his head and kissed Bruce’s temple this time, murmuring against it as he spoke next, “I thought you might want someone to talk to on the flight in, that’s all.”

That earned a faint chuckle from Bruce and he sat the cup down in favor of holding onto one of Tony’s hands. “I wasn’t sure you’d answer the text, much less come looking for me yourself.”

“You texted me your location as half the equation to the logarithmic search patterns of the internet as compared to a known species of harvester ant. Of  ** _course_**  I was going to come and find you myself,” Tony laughed and put his free arm around Bruce’s waist.

 “I knew you’d have read that paper,” Bruce replied as he leaned against Tony a little more.

“So you knew I’d find you.”

“I guess I did. But Tony… three weeks out in the desert?”

“Best vacation I’ve ever had… but now it’s time to go home.”


End file.
